Miter-clamp.



um. Em LA LL IG MR .E BH .M T.

APPLIOATION I'ILED AUG. 21, 1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

2 BHEETS-SHEET 1.

T. ,B. MILLER. MITER GLAMP. APPLIOATION PILED AUG. 21, 1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

2 SHEETB-SHEET 2.

THOMAS B. MILLER, OF KANSA S CITY, MISSOURI.

l MITER-CLAMP.

Losafisa,

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. MILLER, a Citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas ity, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Miter- Clalnps, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to miter clamps and is designed more especially as an improvement in the similar device on'which I secured Patent No. 978,187, December 13, 1910, my special object in this connection being to provide means for more efiectively holding frames of different sizes in position while fastening the parts thereof together,

A further object is to produce a clamp of simpler and cheaper construction than the patented one referred to. U

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is a plan view of a miter clamp embodying my'invention. 'Fig 2, is a side view of the base of the clamp. Fig. 3, is a front view of the base of the clamp. Fig. 4, is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1 and shows a part of a picture frame in the clamp. Fig. 5, is a cross section on the line V-V of Fig. 1. Fig. 6, is a section on the line Vil-V1 of F ig. 1. Fig. 7 ,is a detailed perspective view of a part of one of the clamping bars of the clamp.

In the said drawings, 1 indicates the base provided centrally with a channel 2 and with a pair of fonvardly-diverging channcls 3 constituting branches at the front end of channel 2. The base is also provided at opposite sides of channel 2 vwith a pair of forwardly-diverging channels 4. The base consists of a bottom plate and plates 5 5, 6-45, 7 -7, 8 and 9-9pscrewed as shown or otherwise secured to the bottom plate.

The adjacent edges of plates 5 which are parallel, and the inner ends of plates 6, are formed With grooves 10, and the inner edges of plates 7 are groovedas shown at 11, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application ,filea August 21, 1911.

ratemea Aug.. c, teia. Serial No. 645,117.

'the rear edges of plates 6 are grooved as 13 are standards bolted to-plates V5 at opposite. sides of channel 2, and pivoted to said standards is a cross bar l14z, and to prevent the cross bar 14-, from working freely in`l the standards, the latter are split as at 15 and clamping bolts 16 eXtend-throughl them so that the split ends may be caused to -bear With an increased pressure on the pivoted bar When necessary.

17 is a threaded rod extending through bar 1-1 midway its length and swiveled at its front end at- 18 in a forked clamp 19, the said clamp being 'held against turning movement by fitting on a pair of guide bars 20 paralleling and disposed at opposite sides of rod 17 and secured rigidly at their rear ends to the pivoted cross bar 14, the arrangement being such that operation of the screW `rod results in sliding the forked clamp fo'rwardly or rearwardly, and when it is desired to adjust the forked clamp vertically, the bar 111 will turn in the standards 13. it being noticed that the inner Sides of the forked front end of the clamp 19 extend Aat right `angles to each other.

'21 is a block secured at the rear endof the channel 2, and extending through said block is a thre-aded rod 22 provided With a hand wheel 23 at its rear end. The rod extends through and bears a threaded relation to a slide block I24: fitting in channel 2 and provided with tongues 25 engaging grooves 10`` Vand said block is provided in its underside With a recess 26 Wherein fits and are s pivoted a pair of bars 27 which extend forwardly in channels 3 and at their front ends are provided with laterally-projecting portions 28 to bear against the opposite edges of plate 8. At their opposite Sides the bars are provided at their front ends with laterallyprojecting tongues 29 engaging the grooves 11,I and secured upon the front ends of the said bars 27 are right angle triangle shaped jaws 30, the hypotenuse Sides of which,are formed With teeth 31 which parallel and lie in the same horizontal plane as upwardly-projecting ribs 32 at the front edges of plates 6.

In practice strips 33 of molding from which a picture frame is to be made, are

first mitered at their ends in the customary manner and are then placed upon'plates 7 with 'their outer sides bearing against the ribs 32. The operator then turns wheel 23 so as to move'block 24 rearwardly and thus effects rearward movement of bars 27 until the toothed jaws 30 bear against the inner Sides of said molding stri s and clamp the same firmly against said rlbs, with their adjacent ends fitting squarely together. The forked clamp is then caused to engage the rear sides of the molding strips at their meeting ends, and as the rod 7 is turned, the forked clamp presses firmly against said .molding stri s and thus guards against any possibility o the same tilting when they are nailed together, as hereinafter described.

The nailing may be accomplished by hand but preferably I will employ a nailer of thel following. construction. 34'is a plate bridging the channel 4 between a pair of plates 6 and 9' and restin upon the said plates, and said plate is provi ed with a depending cross piece 35 having a .tongue 36 engaging groove 12 of said channel, so that the said plate may be shifted along the len h of said channel 4. The plate is provide with a pair of upwardly-projecting lugs 37 and extending between said lugs and at right angles to ribs 32, is a rack bar 38 having an attenuated front end 39 disposed in a plane slightly above that of the ribs 32. 40 is a lever pivoted at 41 to and between'lugs 37 and provided with a segmental toothed head 42' engagng the rack bar, so that as the lever is drawn rearwardly the rack bar will be moved forwardly, opposite movement of the ever reversing the movement of theI rack The plate is provided with a channeled 'extension 43 to bear against the outer side of the adjacent rib, and resting upon said extension is a pair of guide blocks 44 which abut together and in their abutting faces are provided with grooves 45 forming a re-4 ceptacle for a nail as shown, the nail being disposerl in longitudinal alinement with the attenuated end of the rack bar, and said nail is held reliably in position by means of a pair of. Springs 46 secnred at their rear ends to the sides of the extension 43 and at their front ends to the blocks 44.

Assuming that the molding strips are held firmly'together and that a nail is held between the blocks 44, the operator simply throws the lever rearwardly and thus effects the advancement of the rack bar and causes the same to engage the head of Vthe nail and force it forward y between the blocks and through one of the molding strips and into the mitered end of the other so. as. to

fasten the strips together, it being. understood that the movement of the rack bar continues until its front extremity has slightly embedded the head of the nail in the adjacent. molding stri If the frame is a heavy one, the na' ing attachment can be slipped out of the' groove which' it occupied m operating the nail and into the corresponding in securing the two molding strips together, it being understood that the' nails will thus occupy intersecting planes.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a miter clamp embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and it is' tov be under- .stood that I reserve the right to make such groove at the other side, so that a second nail canbe caused to assistI changes in the form, proportion, detailed construction and arrangement of the parts as properly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. V

I claim:

1. A miter clamp, comprising a base' provided with upwardly-projecting obliqnelyextending ribs, movable jaws paralleling said ribs and adaptedA for clamping two strips against said ribs and abutting together endwise, a vertically swingin fork facing toward 'said jaws, and means or impartinglongitudinal adjustment to said fork' to cause it to approach or recede from said jaws'. v

2. A miter clamp, comprising a base provided with upwardly-projecting obliquelyextending ribs. movable jaws paralleling A* said ribs, and 'disposed'within the angle inclosed thereby, a suitable support exterior to said ribs, a rod adapted for longitudinal and vertical swinging movement with respect to and carried by said support, a' fork swiveled upon and adapted to move longitudinally and swing with said rod, and means adapted to swing with said rod and fork and hearing a sliding engagement. with the latter to prevent lateral tilting movement thereof. t 4

3. A miter clamp, comprising a base'provided at opposite sides of its longitudinal center with upwardly-projecting obliquelyextending ribs, movable jaws paralleling .said ribs and adapted for. clamping two strips against said ribs and abutting together endwise, a suitablesupport a bar carried by and adapted to rock on said support, a screw rod extendin adjustably 'through said' bar and dispose in the longitudinal plane of said base,a fork facing toward said jaws and swiveled to said screw rod, and guides paralleling, said screw rod and secured rigidly to said cross bar and slidingly connected to said fork to prevent lateral tilting'movement thereof.

4. A miter clamp,zcomprising a base provided with upwardly-projecting obli uelyextending ribs, l,movable jaws para eling said ribs and adapted for clamping two bar for efi"ecting forward or rearward adstrips against said ribs and abutting tojustment of the forked clamp. 1o getherendwse, standards mounted upon the In testimony Whereof I afix my signature, base, a cross bar' pivotally carried by said in the presencev of two Witnesses.

standards, a pair of parallel guide bars pro- THOMAS B. MILLER, jecting' from and carried by said cross bar, Witnesses:

a forked clam mounted slidingly on said FRANK R. GLovE, v

guide bars, and means carried by the cross G. Y. THoRrE. 

